"The statistics say the opposite" - Ballon d'Or organizers explain why Cristiano Ronaldo was included ahead of Lionel Messi in the 30-man shortlist

The Ballon d'Or organizers have given their explanation on including Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Lionel Messi on their 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award. Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner himself, was excluded from the shortlist for the first time since 2005.

Lionel Messi had an underwhelming first season as a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player. The Argentine skipper only managed to score 11 goals across all competitions last time around and wasn't deemed good enough to get a spot on the shortlist.

Emmanuel Bojan of French Football gave his justification for why Cristiano Ronaldo managed to make it onto the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Despite Manchester United only securing a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, Ronaldo's goals were vital for the Red Devils in the league and Champions League.

Ronaldo also had a great time on the international stage for Portugal. Last year, the Portuguese forward became the all-time top goalscorer in men's international football.

France Football’s deputy editor-in-chief was quoted as saying the following (via Eurosport):

“The statistics say the opposite. Ronaldo became the top scorer in national football this season [117 goals]. He was extremely decisive in the Champions League group stage with four off-the-cuff goals that gave Man Utd seven points."

Borjan stated that Cristiano Ronaldo's 2021-22 season was not his best but still good enough to be worthy of a Ballon d'Or nomination. The same can’t be said about Lionel Messi. He added:

“In the Premier League, he had 18 goals including two hat-tricks. In total, 32 goals in 49 matches is not as many as in his best seasons but enough to be among the 30 best players in the world.”

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or duopoly could soon come to an end

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them. Since 2008, each and every award has gone to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo apart from the 2018 edition, which was awarded to Luka Modric.

However, this duopoly will soon come to an abrupt end in the coming years. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the twilight of their respective careers. With their current form, it is highly unlikely that the duo will be able to compete for another "Golden Ball" in the near future.

There are a few excellent candidates for the award this time around. Despite being 34 years old, Karim Benzema is the favorite for this year's award. The Frenchman guided Real Madrid to a league and Champions League double last season.

The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior are also sure to contest for the award in the future.

The 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on 17 October 2022 in Paris, France.